Flashpoint: Time of No Regret
by Athena
Summary: Chapter 2 up [AU Shinra centric] Mako Reactor No. 4 has been blown up and AVALANCHE has claimed responsibility. Shinra's executives scramble to make sense of the chaos, Tseng arrives in Midgar, Reno visits the hospital, and no one gets sleep.
1. A Prelude For Many

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and its characters don't belong to me. This is an AU (alternate universe) involving characters that have (so far) shown up exclusively on the Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII cellphone game. This does _not_ mean that the story will be following the game of Before Crisis; I have no access to the game other than pictures and the website, so I couldn't write a fanfic faithful to the game even if I wanted to.

The major part of Before Crisis taken for this story is the existence of the Turks six years before the FF7 storyline. That alone doesn't really say much, but I hope the story will make sense without going into major details. Things will unfold and make more sense as we go along, don't worry.

There _will_ be "original" characters in this story. They're modeled after the Turks in Before Crisis, so I use the term "original" loosely. Their personalities are of my own design, but you can look at the official pictures of Before Crisis to get the gist of what they look like.

Let's get the party started, ne?  
Started: January 22, 2005  
Finished: January 23, 2005

* * *

Prologue:  
A Prelude For Many

He exhaled. A puff of smoke danced through the air.

He took another drag of his cigarette, enjoying the frigid air of the world above the plate. Midgar was reaching the last leg of the winter season; the cold days were becoming fewer and with more breaks of warm sunlight in between, with the occasional rainstorm literally dampening his day. He preferred the cold weather, as it brought with it a pleasant numbness that bombarded his entire body; that numbness would follow him into his office, where it would be replaced by prickles and sparks of fire through his nerves.

As of late, those prickles and sparks were all that reminded him of his former line of work. A vague flicker of thrill in an otherwise bland job.

He dropped the butt and ground it under his heel, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he turned back to enter the cafeteria. Shinra employees sat at the numerous tables that littered the floor, talking amongst themselves and enjoying their contractual lunch breaks. In comparison, he could have lunch breaks anytime he wanted; that was the beauty of not working for Shinra anymore.

If you could call it a "beauty" at all.

He pulled out his PHS and dialed for Reeve. Tseng was out on a surveyor run with Scarlet; more than likely to Junon, as that was where Scarlet seemed to be working lately. "Hey, Reeve, can you come and pick me up? Lunch's over."

"Care to pick me up a coffee while you're waiting, then? I'm up to my ears in reports and my machine's broken." Daniel Reeve, master of all-nighters, was an infamous caffeineholic. His broken coffee maker must have been the cause of much grief.

"No prob. You're paying me back, though."

While he was waiting to buy Reeve's coffee, he decided to check his inventory. Shades, keys, ID, wallet… He fingered his crummy second-rate PHS with a wry smile; it was a gift from Tseng - whether out of pity or as a "bonus," he did not know. It was functional, but lacked in personality. Rude, though usually silent in his observations, would have commented on how stupid he sounded. He chuckled to himself at the thought of Rude doing just that, his mind wandering from his task for a few minutes.

A slightly wistful smirk was on his face when he met up with Reeve. The older man raised a brow, taking the proffered cup of coffee and gesturing for him to follow. "Someone sit too close to the leaking pipes?" he asked sarcastically, slashing his keycard for access to the executive elevator.

"Nah… Just reminiscing." He tilted his head to look at the ceiling of the elevator. "You know."

Reeve nodded understandingly. When he was not working, Reno was usually hanging around the building - as if staying on the premises helped him absorb memories of a better time. He used the term "better" loosely; a time of strife and conflict was _not_ exactly his definition of a better time.

But such times were what Turks lived for.

Or used to.

He never asked about the details, mostly because the disintegration of the Turks was a touchy subject for Reno and Tseng. He knew it involved the death of Veld Bremerton, Tseng's former mentor and the manager of the Turks, and one of the new recruits, but no one in upper management - excluding the president and his son - seemed to know anything beyond that.

Six years ago, Reno and the rest of the Turks lost their special status within Shinra. The funds set aside for their syndicate were sent into the science department a year later, for some huge cleanup that Professor Hojo was in charge of. Tseng was kept on company payroll due to a special request from Scarlet, and Tseng had hired Reno as a personal assistant of sorts. Knowing the young Wutaiian, Tseng would have hired all of his former Turks if he had the salary to do so. As it was, Tseng was currently paying Reno out of his own pocket. The only other Turk that was kept employed by Shinra was Antimony Carver, and even she was not making the same kind of money she had been as a Turk.

The elevator stopped at the lobby, pinging cheerfully as the doors opened.

"Thanks, Reeve," Reno said, shoving his hands back in his pockets as he looked at the executive. "Goin' back to work?"

"Unlike you, Reno, I don't get to make up my own hours," Reeve said wryly, taking a sip of his coffee. He grimaced at the taste. "Black?"

Reno shrugged, his face splitting into a grin. "You didn't specify on what you wanted." He lifted one hand as he headed for the entrance. "See ya tomorrow, Reeve."

The redhead whistled as he strode out of the building. He stood in front of the complex for a moment, mulling over what to do with the rest of his day. After a minute of deliberation, he pulled out his PHS and dialed.

"Hey, Rude, you busy? You wanna go hit some bars?"

It was never too early to get smashed.

* * *

Huzzah, and here I am in the FF7 fandom once again. I haven't touched this fandom in _years,_ seriously. Shout outs to Reno Spiegel and Zeng Li; Reno for the fics that got me interested in the Turks and Zeng for coming up with "Reno Nevada." I'm not sure if I can credit Zeng with "Daniel Reeve" also, as I've seen some other fics that use the name, so I'll leave that one wide open. Thanks for reading. 


	2. Business Unusual

Disclaimer: FF7 doesn't belong to me. This is an AU using Before Crisis references and characters. There will be "original" characters that interact with the main characters (but I promise to be tactful with them). Mostly, though, this is a story about the established characters, specifically the Shinra executives and the Turks.

On a completely aesthetic note, I greatly dislike how picky fanfiction(dot)net is about symbols in stories. I can't even write double dashes anymore. Ugh.  
Started: January 23, 2005  
Finished: February 2, 2005

* * *

Chapter 1:  
Business Unusual

"One last stop."

Tseng Hideyuki nodded unnecessarily, following his boss closely as she walked through the Junon complex. With the Sister Ray going through its yearly maintenance procedures, surveyor runs to Shinra's Junon branch were more frequent than usual. Scarlet saw to the project personally as much as she could from Midgar, though it was clear that she would rather be more involved than she already was. He had suggested that she ask to be transferred to Junon, but she had waved off the idea; she was still needed in Midgar to oversee weapon development for SOLDIERs as it was.

They walked down into the underwater reactor, passing by saluting guards and reactor workers that were busy gauging the reactor's output. Scarlet would pause from time to time to ask for updates from workers, and Tseng would watch in slight amusement as each man's eyes wandered down to the Head of Weapon Research and Development's low-cut dress. Like clockwork, each man would stare, catch himself staring, and then try - and fail - to concentrate on what Scarlet was saying.

"They just can't keep their eyes away," she quipped casually as they resumed their walk into the heart of the reactor. Her heels clacked against the reinforced steel floorings as they walked, noisy over the constant thrum of the reactor.

"Never mind that you're dressed promiscuously as it is," Tseng replied dryly, keeping stride with the woman.

"After years in a suit, I think I deserve _some_ freedom," Lydia Scarlet defended, letting the younger man's comment slide. She spied a familiar-looking figure already in the reactor, quickening her pace to confirm her suspicions.

The well-dressed young man looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, lowering the written report he had been reading over. "Ah, Scarlet," he greeted with a nod.

"Mr. Vice President," Scarlet acknowledged, briefly shaking hands with the younger blonde. "If I had known you were going to oversee the testing today, I wouldn't have come out."

Rufus Shinra chuckled, flicking back gelled bangs that fell on the right side of his face. "Even if I _was_ here overseeing the testing, I doubt that would have stopped you." He looked past Scarlet at the black-haired Wutaiian. "It's been awhile, Tseng." Tseng nodded professionally, clasping his hands behind his back as he waited. Rufus cleared his throat and turned to look at the reactor. "Normally I wouldn't bother with coming down here, but Reeve wanted to compare this reactor's output with those in Midgar."

"And you couldn't spare an aid or someone else to do it?" the female executive inquired, raising a brow. "I think it's fair to assume that you were _bored,_ Mr. Vice President."

Feigning a sigh, Rufus turned to look back at the reactor. "You're very astute, Scarlet… But, of course, you already knew that."

"Comes with the reputation, sir," Scarlet replied with a confident smile. "Tseng, if you will keep the Vice President company, I'll start my inspection."

"Yes, ma'am."

Tseng took a step towards the white-clad Vice President as Scarlet slinked away, meeting the younger man's gaze for a moment. It had been several years since he had last seen the President's son, and he had certainly changed in the last few years. He had been a tall youth in his teenage years, but four years had given the younger man a few more inches - just enough to make him taller than his subordinate.

"You look well, Tseng," Rufus said amiably, clearly trying to make conversation with the serious man. "How is Midgar treating you?"

"Fine, sir." He glanced at the pristine blonde, but did not follow through with details.

"I haven't been in Midgar for _months._ You would think the old man would call me in for at least the board meetings… He clearly thinks I don't need to know what is going on in Midgar."

"To be honest, sir, I wouldn't say anything interesting is happening in the city." The plated city had enjoyed six years of relative peace, pierced by murder cases, political scandals, and gang wars that never reached the severity of AVALANCHE's reign of terror six years ago.

"Sometimes I wonder," Rufus muttered. A fair amount of upper management knew that Rufus was constantly at odds with his father. "These maintenance periods for the Sister Ray are the only things that change the monotony of paperwork around here." He paused, watching Scarlet tap into the computers and scan through numerous filed reports on the Mako reactor. "It's almost a pity that AVALANCHE was laid to waste."

Tseng's stoic expression gave way for a sardonic smile. "A peculiar thing for the Vice President to say."

"Oh, don't get me wrong; AVALANCHE was bad news and quite a hassle for us all," the blue-eyed blonde replied, "but it doesn't change the fact that their pitiful rebellion led to some of the fastest enhancements in Materia growth and weaponry since the war." Rufus smirked at the long-haired man. "Suffice it to say, I think conflict is a very … _healthy_ thing for the company. If I had my way, I would have drawn out the conflict with AVALANCHE as long as possible."

"… Interesting, sir."

Rufus nodded in agreement. "Such a fine opportunity gone to waste. My old man is such a fool."

x x x x x

"So … how's life, Rude?"

Reno never really expected an answer from his drinking buddy and former partner; it was more out of habit than anything that he opened up with that line. Over the last six years, Rude was pretty much the only one he had kept in contact with; he had never really been close to the other Turks, though Fletcher and Malloy had their moments. He had run into Antimony once or twice in the Shinra Building, but the woman had all the personality of a wooden crate - boxy, boring, and good for talking at.

In his completely unbiased opinion, at least.

Rude cracked open a beer, glancing at his friend through his shades. He had been working as a bouncer in Sector 4 for the last two years, after a period of taking odd jobs and a brief stint with the Midgar police. It was far from an easy life, but he had learned how to adapt to new problems early in life.

"How's Shinra, Reno?" he asked in turn, taking a swig. Though he never had anything to say about his day, his redheaded friend usually did.

"Same old, same old," Reno muttered, turning his beer bottle and peering at the scratched up table. "Filing papers, checking out gang inventories for whatever new shit they think they can come up with… Boring stuff. Gotta visit the flower girl in a few hours."

With the Turks disintegrated, Professor Hojo had no one to rely on to regularly check on his precious 'Ancient.' Hojo had been able to snag the cooperation of the Turks before simply because of past connections with Veld, and now the scientist had to specifically ask for Tseng and Reno to help him with whatever project Aeris Gainsborough was a part of. In some ways, it was nice to see one of the department heads still recognizing them as Turks.

That was probably why Reno never turned her in.

"You should stop drinking, then," Rude commented.

Reno made a noncommittal sound, drinking down half of the contents of the bottle. "Ate lunch just awhile ago," he defended himself. "Besides, maybe the Professor will cut me some slack when he finds out I went out while drunk."

Rude raised a skeptical brow.

"Okay, okay. Shit." Reno shook his beer bottle and shook it at the taller man. "Two beers, but you're paying the tab this time, chump."

The older man simply rolled his eyes behind dark shades.

x x x x x

He yawned as he closed up the shop, intent on heading out to a late lunch - or an early dinner, now that he looked at his watch. His blue eyes narrowed as he tapped on the watch, making sure it was indeed working before pausing to look around. The streets were emptying out as people headed home or to the clubs and bars in the area. He noticed a pair of thugs walk past the shop and clenched the doorknob under his hand a bit; he knew the thugs would not target him directly due to a run-in with them a few months back, but a Materia shop - even one that a former Turk worked in - was free game under the rotting pizza.

Wren Malloy stretched and shoved his keys into his pocket, starting down the road with a sigh. Once upon a time, he had been the member of a Midgar gang - one based in Sector 8 and quite formidable by Midgar police standards. He had become a strong candidate for leadership early on, and become the leader of the gang at the age of eighteen. Unfortunately, his reign as leader had been a short one; less than a year later, the Turks were assigned to the "handling" of the infamous gang.

Miraculously, he had not been around when the sting took place, and he survived the massacre.

He had been a brash teenager, foolishly planning his own assassination attempt on the Turks following the destruction of his gang. He snuck into the Shinra Building and stole an employee keycard, managing to get up into the middle levels before security had been called in. SOLDIERs were called in when he managed to disable all the Shinra guards called in, and he had the unique opportunity to meet both General Sephiroth and the later-leader of the Turks on the battlefield.

It was in the middle of that tense atmosphere that Tseng offered him a job with the Turks and a chance to start over. With the only other option opened to him being death, he took the job.

He never regretted it.

Wren shook his head to clear it, realizing he had been standing in front of the store for a good five minutes now. He had only been a recruit when the Turks were broken up; in theory, it should not have been affecting him as much as it was. In theory, he should have hated the Turks for ruining his life in the slums.

But joining the Turks took him out of the slums and onto the upper plate. Joining the Turks allowed him to meet some people he almost called friends. Joining the Turks allowed him to realize he still had the ability to care about others.

_Gina…_

Blue eyes narrowed. She had died six years ago, and it still haunted him. Despite the fact that he was an experienced killer, her death was still a sore spot in his heart. Veld had betrayed them. _Tseng_ had betrayed them. It was no wonder the Turks were disbanded; with such corrupt leadership, the syndicate was bound to implode sooner or later.

Still, he missed the teamwork. The camaraderie was something he was not familiar with, having grown up in the slums and been in a gang for most of his teenage years. He was able to _relax_ in their presence; there was something disarming about Reno's flippant attitude and Fletcher's colorful diction that contrasted with the job that was able to put him at ease.

His eyes wandered to a pair walking by across the street. They were the only other ones still out, and they looked ready to head somewhere together. The male was talking seriously to the young female, his face grim and serious.

He stared at the familiar-looking man, all thoughts scattering as he recognized the gruff face and intense green eyes. It had been a long time since he had seen him in pictures, and even longer since he had had the pleasure of seeing him in person…

_Sears, the leader of AVALANCHE._

x x x x x

Sector 5 was like all the other sectors – well-maintained and relatively clean up top, a cesspool of corruption underneath. A regular shithole.

Unlike any of the other sectors though, there was a small paradise hidden amongst the garbage and junk. That was where Reno found himself heading, as that was where he would find Aeris.

According to "orders" from Professor Hojo, he was supposed to persuade the young woman to go back to Shinra. Of course, with his work ethic, he found it easy to brush aside Hojo's orders and instead spend some time with the proclaimed "Ancient." Hojo would sometimes send out soldiers to find Aeris and detain her, but those grunts only knew how to hit things and make a lot of noise. It was sad to listen to Aeris' escapades while dodging the Shinra guards, as it only proved the incompetence of the hired help that did not reach the SOLDIER program.

If he or Tseng wanted to capture Aeris Gainsborough, they would have done it a long time ago.

Aeris was in the church - _her_ church, as far as he was concerned - taking care of her flowers. He took a seat in one of the more decent pews, watching her. "Out late again, little lady?"

The brunette looked up, smiling briefly. "Hello, Reno."

He gave a faint, sloppy salute in greeting. "Another week, another meeting," he said casually. "How's your mom?"

It was fairly routine for them to trade pleasantries and make small talk when they met; as far as Aeris was concerned, Reno and Tseng were no longer strongly affiliated to Shinra and borderline disloyal to the company. From time to time, she would voice her worries that they would be punished for not turning her in. Tseng would cut her concerns off short with a few words of comfort and simply continue the conversation, while Reno tended to become overly sarcastic in the face of a woman's worry.

It did not take Aeris long to learn not to bring up those topics.

"She is well," Aeris replied, methodically weeding and watering her flowers. "How is Tseng?"

"Last time I saw him, he was fine," Reno yawned, raking a hand through his messy red locks. "He's in Junon right now."

"Tell him I said hello." The pink-dressed young woman did not move from her spot in the middle of her flowers, still tending to the delicate blooms. "And you, Reno? How are you?"

"Bored," the older man admitted. He scratched his chin wryly. "I've thought about quitting."

"Hitting mid-life crisis already?" teased the flower girl, tilting her head at the man.

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Hardly; I'm only 26. But I think about joining Rude in bodyguarding or, hell, going back to crime."

Aeris frowned slightly at the idea. "Tseng's trying to keep you out of trouble."

"'Trouble?'" snorted the former Turk in disdain. "Don't forget what I was, Aeris."

The young woman had the decency to grimace at the reminder of Reno's past profession. "Still… Was it really a job you enjoyed? Murder, thievery?"

"You wouldn't understand," Reno grumbled, leaning forward and resting his chin in his hands.

This was not an uncommon topic between the two; Reno refused to voice thoughts of quitting to Tseng and Reeve, so typically Rude and Aeris were the ones left to listen. Every time, Aeris would guilt Reno into rethinking the idea by pointing out how ungrateful he would seem to Tseng. It was usually enough to stop the redhead from doing anything rash.

Their talk was interrupted by the blaring sounds of far-off alarms. Reno's brows shot up as he heard the piercing sounds, and he stood up immediately. Aeris followed softly, looking up at the high ceiling in genuine confusion. "Something's wrong…"

"You think? Those are security alarms." Reno gestured to the young woman. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here."

Aeris' gaze trailed to her flowers, but she followed the redhead out of the church. Reno was looking around warily, pulling a collapsible nightstick from his jacket pocket. "I'm going up to the reactor."

"Why? You're not even part of Shinra," Aeris murmured, her hands clasped and her eyes looking past the church to where Mako Reactor No. 4 was erected.

The former Turk shrugged. "Call it curiosity," he replied with a dry laugh. "Go home, Aeris."

Aeris frowned outright at the order. "But I can help. Let me come."

Reno set his nightstick against his shoulder, raising a brow at the brunette. "Yeah right; Tseng would have my head if I took you up there. First off, it's dangerous … and I bet they'll send SOLDIERs up there if there's a security breach."

She _knew_ he had a point, but she still had to bite back the urge to be immature and fight Reno. With a ragged sigh, she slipped her bangle off and offered it to the older man. "There's a Restore and an Ice slotted in it."

"Where'd you get Materia?" Reno inquired, not attempting to hide his surprise. "You don't make that kind of money… Not on one gil a flower."

Aeris stifled a laugh at the look on Reno's face. "Occasionally Materia grows in my gardens back home. Those two grew in my gardens a few months ago."

Experienced green eyes inspected the iron bangle before Reno slipped it on. The two green Materia glittered in the slots. "Thanks. I'll get it back to you."

Aeris smiled, already past her impulse to join Reno. "Good. That means you plan on coming back." She looked over the redhead in his torn jeans and black jacket, taking in his casual stance and weaponry. "Just put you in a black suit and you'll look like a Turk again."

Reno had to smirk at the comment.

x x x x x

Wren was careful following Sears and the woman he had been with; he stayed to the shadows and kept quiet, maintaining a safe distance between himself and the two the entire time. He had gone back into the shop upon recognizing Sears, fishing out a few magic Materia anxiously while keeping an eye out on the two through a window.

It was shocking to see Sears alive. The bandana-wearing man had been presumed dead after the destruction of AVALANCHE's base, especially with the six-year period of relative peace that followed. He had briefly entertained the thought that Sears had started a new life, but quickly squelched that; Sears was far too dedicated to the destruction of Shinra to lie down and allow the company to continue on while he was still breathing.

That was why he was not surprised to find Sears and the unfamiliar young woman heading for the Mako reactor. What he _was_ surprised about was the fact that the reactor seemed completely empty.

He hesitated when he saw Sears and the young woman slip inside the facility without so much as tripping an alarm, as if finally realizing his position in this entire matter. _Why am I sticking my neck out for Shinra now? I'm not even affiliated with them anymore…_

Despite the urge to walk away, he found himself unable to move. Part of him yearned to go after the terrorists and take them down by any means necessary, like he had done as a Turk. That part of him fought for dominance, forcing him to take a step forward. He shut his eyes and shook his head wearily. _It's been six years. Get over it…_

The sound of alarms made him tense immediately, and he jumped in shock. The entire reactor was on alert now, and he could only imagine what had happened inside the facility to trigger the sirens. Throwing caution and doubt to the wind, the former Turk ran to follow the terrorists. He hurried through the broken gates and ran past what he could only surmise had been security cameras, surrounded by flashing red lights and blaring sounds that deafened him to the thudding of his anxious heart.

Only once he was inside the complex was he able to shake his head to clear it. He warily looked around the empty reactor, his nerves on edge and his eyes sharp as he noticed a huge security gateway that blocked his path. His breathing slightly erratic, the former Turk spent several moments trying to figure out the control panel.

_Shit, I don't know this kind of stuff…_

He tensed when the door opened with a whirr and a rumble, watching Sears and the female appear from behind the sliding gates. Suppressing a grimace, Wren pulled the metal rod he held onto for protection from his jacket pocket. "Sears."

The older man's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Turks? … No, the Turks don't exist anymore."

"Neither does AVALANCHE," Wren hissed, sizing up the two rebels carefully. They both appeared ready to fight if necessary. "What the hell did you do in the reactor?"

"There's no time for this," snorted the brown-haired man. "There's a bomb in the core and we've got four minutes to clear out." Wren gritted his teeth at the declaration, watching the woman fall into a battle stance. "Get out of the way, Turk; you're wasting our time."

Wren was about to reply when the young brunette raced forward and took a swing at him. He barely heard the shout from Sears as he lifted his weapon to deflect the blow, cursing when the young woman followed through with a roundhouse kick that connected with his midriff. Knocked off-balance, he began invoking the power of the Materia in his bangle in a counterattack.

"C'mon, Tifa, we've gotta move," he heard Sears growl. The AVALANCHE leader grabbed hold of the younger woman and ran past Wren, heading back towards the entry gates.

He shook his head dazedly, focusing on the two fleeing rebels as he lost his concentration of the spell. The former Turk took off after them, running past the broken entry gates and down the street away from the reactor. He was a considerable distance away from the reactor when he realized he had lost the two AVALANCHE members.

_He said … four minutes, didn't he?_

That was the last thought to cross his mind before Mako Reactor No. 4 blew up behind him.

* * *

Whoo, that was longer than I thought it would be… Hope I didn't scare away readers with so much coverage on Wren. Believe me, I can relate with readers that balk at the sight of original characters. 

Next chapter, there will be more coverage of the Shinra executives, as well as Tseng, Reno, and Wren Malloy. Wren seemed to get a lot of 'screen time' this chapter, so I think I'll even it all out with more Rufus and Tseng. Heh heh, just thinking about writing about Rufus again makes me giddy.

If you're curious who Wren is based off of in Before Crisis, he's the Turk that uses a rod (like Reno) and has spiky hair (… like Reno). I'll probably be playing off Malloy and Reno's similarities in the future. Additionally, Sears _is_ a character from Before Crisis; he was an influential member of AVALANCHE and I'm assuming he was the leader.


	3. A Sleepless Night

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII doesn't belong to me. The names and personalities for the "new" Turks do, though.  
Started: February 4, 2005  
Finished: March 1, 2005

* * *

Chapter 2:  
A Sleepless Night

Her phone was ringing.

She muttered and rolled over, dragging her pillow with her to cover her ears grumpily. She had stopped reading safety reports and thrown herself into bed with every intention of sleeping until Tseng arrived to wake her up. Everyone that was anyone in her department - in the _company_ - knew that disturbing her while she was trying to rest was a foolish idea.

The phone, however, was apparently not aware of her reputation.

_Stop ringing… Stop ringing…_

Two minutes later, the phone was still ringing and she was too awake to ignore the incessant sound. She opened her eyes and stared blearily at the glaring red numbers of her bedside clock. 11:14. _Just great. Less than an hour of sleep._ With a frustrated sigh, she crawled across the bed and picked up the phone.

"This sure as _hell_ better be important-"

"Scarlet? This is Rufus Shinra."

The end of her sentence died in her throat at the Vice President's no-nonsense greeting. "Mr. Vice President? What is it, sir?"

"There's been an incident in Midgar. The President is asking for all department heads to report back to Midgar; Hojo is heading back from Nibelheim as we speak." Rufus' professional tone was disconcerting at such an early hour.

"An … incident?" Scarlet was already climbing out of bed, fumbling for the lights.

"A Mako reactor exploded. AVALANCHE has claimed responsibility."

The blonde woman paused at the familiar name, then shook her head and hurried to get something to wear. "… Let me just call Tseng, sir, and we'll be on our way."

_AVALANCHE? That was six years ago…_

"I expect the helicopter to be on the helipad within the next half hour."

"Yes, sir."

x x x x x

His body ached. His legs ached. His _eyelids_ ached. He twitched something - he was not quite sure what - slightly, and _that_ ached.

"Malloy?"

Blue eyes opened at the faintly familiar voice. Wren coughed and winced as his vision focused, finding himself staring up at the ceiling and a redhead that was leaning over him. It took a moment for a name to register. "Reno?"

Reno did not look all that happy, though it was more likely because of his lack of sleep than seeing his former coworker "What the hell were you doing running away from an exploding Mako reactor?"

Wren blinked. "Nice to see you, too."

"Yeah, well, you can tell me if this reunion's gonna be nice or not by answering my question, Malloy." Reno straightened, disappearing from Wren's line of sight for a moment. Wren tilted his head to watch the redhead lean back in a seat next to the bed, frowning slightly. "C'mon now. Spill it."

The younger man grunted as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, ignoring the pain that shot through his body. Reno eyed him critically, not attempting to stop Wren from sitting up. "It was Sears," he managed, hissing as he rested his lower back against the pillows. "Damn, I feel like…"

"Shit? You're not looking very hot, either," Reno muttered. "… Sears, huh? Fuck, I wasn't expecting to hear that name ever again. The news is all over it; apparently it's AVALANCHE's handiwork." He shifted, resting his chin on the palm of one hand. "But Sears? … He must have nine lives."

"What are we gonna do?"

There was a long moment of silence as Reno appeared to contemplate Wren's question. "We're supposed to do something?" he finally asked.

That was definitely not the response Wren had expected; it took him a few seconds for Reno's reasoning to click in his head. "Fuck…"

"Yeah, that's right: it's not our job anymore." Emerald eyes glinted as Reno stood up, and he went to stand by the window. "The reactor's still burning. I don't think they'll be able to stop the fire completely tonight."

Wren sighed, looking away from Reno and the window angrily. He could only assume they were still in Sector 5, as the bright glow of the raging fire filled the windows completely. "So how long am I supposed to be in here?"

Reno turned around and shrugged his shoulders, burying his hands in his jacket pockets. "Until they give you the okay, I guess. You weren't badly hurt, considering you were so close to the reactor when it blew. Must be your damned luck." Wren Malloy had a strange history of good luck, and his miraculous survival was just another chip on the pile. When he had chased down a prime AVALANCHE operative six years ago, the brunette had gotten away from the scuffle with only a broken arm.

"Good luck would've been catching that bastard and his accomplice," Wren stated bitterly. "I can't believe AVALANCHE is back."

"Again, not our job anymore," Reno said, feigning nonchalance. In many ways, he felt compelled to agree with Wren that they should do something. However, there were many factors that stopped him from doing something rash like hunt down AVALANCHE; money, equipment, and good reason had all been factors that led to his version of a good work ethic.

It went without saying that the drive to do that kind of job well was there. If there was one thing in the world that he excelled at, it was being a Turk.

x x x x x

Rufus Shinra wrapped his coat around himself as he stepped out of the helicopter, one hand reaching up to shield his eyes as he strode towards shelter. Lydia Scarlet was hot on his heels, looking back past the helicopter at the smoke that billowed up into the burning sky. Both of the executives were too preoccupied to pay attention to the helicopter as it took off, stepping into the President's office and following the escorts that awaited them to the boarding room.

Azul Shinra sat at the head of the long table, his chin resting on one clenched fist as he averted his gaze to the new arrivals. The expression on his face was one of weary anger as he cleared his throat. "We have many things to discuss, so take a seat," he said grimly, giving the two little more than a professional nod in greeting.

Scarlet took a seat next to General Miles Heidegger, Head of Public Safety and Peace Preservation, with a thoughtful frown on her face. Rufus sat near the head of the table next to his father, folding his hands on the tabletop as he waited for someone to begin the meeting. All of the departmental heads looked understandably frazzled and tired (considering it was only one in the morning), but Reeve looked quite sick as he anxiously shuffled through several reports he had sitting in front of him.

"As I am sure you are aware by now, Mako Reactor No. 4 was blown up at approximately nine PM last night," President Shinra began, blue eyes scanning the faces of his department heads. "I have already made a public statement on the matter, but I will be redirecting all future statements to Rufus for the time being." Rufus nodded once at his father's right, not at all surprised; when soothing the population, it was better to have someone who appeared trustworthy and was charismatic fielding questions. "Reeve, what is the status on the reactor?"

Reeve practically jumped as his name was uttered, clutching at his papers as if they were a lifeline. "I can't give you a full report until the fire's out, sir," he managed, "but it appears the base of the reactor was spared, since the entire sector did not blow. I have people working on cutting off the Mako flow to the reactor to help stave the fire as we speak."

The President nodded tersely. "I want a full report by tomorrow morning; I want the reactor up and running as soon as possible." He ignored the meek acknowledgment from the Head of Urban Development, averting his attention once again. "What are your SOLDIERs doing, Heidegger?"

"It's been difficult trying to pin where the terrorists came from, sir," Heidegger reported in his heavy, northern accent. "Questioning civilians hasn't given us anything, either. They slipped out of sight as soon as they blew up the reactor."

"And what about the confession? I heard it was sent through e-mail."

The scarred general openly grimaced, knowing he had to deliver more bad news. "Encryptions of the worst kind, sir. My best crackers can't trace it."

"Fuhito."

President Shinra, as well as the other executives, looked at Rufus at the one-word utterance. "What was that?" inquired the older Shinra.

"Fuhito," Rufus repeated, meeting his father's gaze coolly, "was a cracker in the AVALANCHE ranks. We ran into the same problem of encrypted data during the uprising six years ago, but one of the Turks managed to trace the an e-mail back to a Sector 3 warehouse."

There was a brief silence as everyone allowed this to sink in. "A Turk," Shinra muttered aloud, eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he recalled the 'preemptive counterattack' task force of Shinra Incorporated. "And where is this Turk now?"

Hojo spoke up, leaning against his high-backed seat and pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "Miss Carver is currently working for me," he drawled. "I can have her come down from Nibelheim if she's needed."

President Shinra nodded. "Do so, and tell me when she's arrived," he said to the scientist. "Heidegger, step up surveillance and send patrols into the slums. The rats are probably hiding down there. Reeve, again, I want a full report by tomorrow morning - nine AM, sharp. Dismissed."

Scarlet looked suitably resentful that she had not been given an assignment, but decided that she would rather not deal with the amount of stress Reeve was undoubtedly suffering from. She was prepared to follow Hojo, Palmer, and Reeve out of the room when she noticed neither Rufus or the President moving from their seats. Even Heidegger had kept his seat, looking at the two blonde men in turn.

Rufus noticed Scarlet hanging back, glancing at his father before speaking. "Close the door and come sit down, Scarlet. I believe we will need a Turk's perspective on this matter."

She straightened slightly at the mentioning of her past occupation, then moved to shut the door.

x x x x x

His watch read 6:50 AM as he walked through Sector 5, and he could not help but feel that it was too early to be up. He had gotten only four hours of sleep the night before, and that fact alone would usually be enough to keep him in bed.

However, it was not every day when he was given the opportunity to have breakfast with the Gainsboroughs.

Tseng Hideyuki was considered a family friend despite previous orders as a Turk to capture Aeris and bring her back to Shinra, and was with the two women that he found himself at peace as of late. He was uncomfortable with the idea of settling down and starting a family, seeing as he had never had much of a family of his own, and he took to the Gainsboroughs as a surrogate family of sorts. He had known the two for over a decade now - longer than he had known any of his business associates.

Aeris was out in her garden despite the early hour, and she rose to greet him as he walked through the front gate. He allowed a brief smile as the young woman walked over, embracing her. "I'm still surprised you knew I was in the city," he stated in greeting.

"I had a feeling," Aeris replied with a sad smile, taking his hand and leading him into the house. Elmyra was at the stove, cooking. "Mom, Tseng's here."

"Hello, Tseng," greeted the woman, turning long enough to wave at the Wutaiian. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, Elmyra, considering the recent turn of events," he said wryly, standing near the door while Aeris went to wash up.

"When did you get into the city?" Elmyra inquired, turning back to the stove as she asked the question.

"About ten minutes to one," Tseng replied. "We left Junon before midnight; for whatever reason, the Junon branch was left in the dark for hours after the explosion."

"Reno was with me when the reactor blew up," Aeris commented, drying off her hands and heading for the kitchen table. Tseng pulled a chair out for the young woman and took a seat once the brunette had sat down. "He went up to the reactor, but I haven't heard from him since there."

Tseng pulled his PHS from his jacket pocket, looking at it thoughtfully. "He would have called if something bad had happened, so he's either safe or dead." Aeris looked amused by his reasoning, and he shared a chuckle with her. "From your expression, I think it's safe to assume he's alive."

With that said, he dialed Reno's number.

x x x x x

Reno cursed as he heard his PHS ring, muttering crossly to himself as he reached for the small device. He had finally gotten back to his apartment from the hospital, and according to the bleary numbers on his PHS, he had gotten a full 52 minutes of sleep before he was so rudely awoken.

"This better be fu- Oh, hey, Tseng," the redhead groaned, not bothering to keep his eyes open as he mumbled into the phone. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine… No, 'wasn't anywhere near the bloody reactor when he blew up." He blearily decided to not mention Wren's presence at the reactor to Tseng, as the two men did not get along. "Yeah, it was them. Uh huh… No, they didn't see me." _Technically, I didn't see them, either._

They continued talking for a few more moments before Tseng finally let him go, and Reno grumbled as he set his PHS back on the bedside table. Mumbling incoherently, the redhead blindly groped for his pillow and buried his face in it, intent on falling asleep again. After such an ungodly long day, all he wanted to do was _sleep_…

And then his PHS rang again.

Bloodshot eyes opened deliriously, and it took all of Reno's self-control not to scream.

With a vehemence that belied his sheer weariness, Reno reached for his PHS and answered the call. "I don't know who the gave you this fucking number-"

"Gya ha ha… Don't even start, Nevada." Due to his current state, it took Reno a full moment to place the telltale laugh. He cursed to himself, forcing himself to keep his eyes open. "It's been a long night for everyone, so you're no better off than anyone. This isn't a social call, anyway."

"No fucking kidding."

"Don't talk to superior like that," Heidegger said firmly, calling upon his army background to sound more authoritative. "I am calling you personally to tell you about a recent development."

Reno sat up, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly as he tried to stay awake. "If you're talking about the burning reactor outside, I think I've heard about it already."

There was a grumble of irritation on the other end of the phone. "_No,_ you sarcastic prick, it's more than that. Since AVALANCHE has claimed responsibility, we're doing something unprecedented to deal with the threat. We're reinstating the Turks, and Shinra would like to rehire you as one."

Reno straightened at the declaration. He suddenly wasn't that tired anymore.

* * *

Geez, that last scene took me weeks. I could've had this done a _long_ time ago, but … well, I suck like that. -.-;; Anyway, please review if you're reading. Thanks, and I'll get to the next chapter as soon as my last few weeks of the quarter are cleared up. 

… And Reno really seems to be taking over this fic. Weird. O.o; I wasn't intending on him getting so many scenes, but he makes a great medium for getting between events and scenes.


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